Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Certainly what's interesting in a large rural constituency is the whole dynamic around virtual citizenship, and specifically some of the proposals that have been brought forward. You know, when we've had the details of the amendments that have been brought directly before us here, I have consistently heard question asked of whether these adjustments are.... Quite frankly, over the course of this, it was not isolated to the new proposals. It was also some of the amendments that had been brought forward as IRCC and the government adjusted to the dynamics of COVID-19. I have had new citizens and people who are pursuing citizenship asking the simple question about how some of these things fit within the tradition of what is seen to be an incredibly valuable part of taking that step and that path to citizenship.
I guess my question to the officials specifically surrounds some of the consultations about how this impacts the perception of citizenship and the process that the oath, particularly, has. I'm wondering if they could provide some feedback or details around how some of these adjustments have impacted the perception of what the citizenship process is.
I think my father-in-law would be very comfortable with me sharing this. It was a very exciting day when as an adult—he'd moved with his family to Canada when he was a child—he decided to become a Canadian. That was a very powerful moment. There was a judge in front of an auditorium and 30 or 40 of them. This was long before I was elected. You know, me and my family.... I think I had one child at the time. It was an incredibly poignant moment for him, having lived and worked in Canada his entire life, and to also be on the stage with many others.
Has any data, research or feedback been received? Certainly, I've been receiving this. My office and constituency staff help hundreds of individuals with “casework”, as we refer to it. Has there been feedback provided about this process in terms of what is perceived as the culmination of the citizenship process, that actually becoming a citizen—